Circuit-interrupter.



J. N. MAHONEY & W M. AUSTIN.

CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. 914.

Patented Sept; 17, 1918.v

I7 Joseph N Mahone NVENTOR y WaHer/VL Ausrin.

ATTORNEY cm", [1. c

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOSEPH N. MAHONEY, 0F WILKINSBURG, AND VJALTER M. AUSTIN, OF SWISSVALE,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS 'lO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND: MANUFAGTUB.

CIRGUIT-INTERRUPTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept..1:'7, 1918.

Application filed August 7, 1-914. Serial No. 855,649.

To all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrrr- N. MAHONEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of \Vilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, and lVALrnn M. Ausrrn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident ct Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inCircuit-Interru-pters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to circuit interrupters and particularly to. thosethat are automatically operated.

One object of our invention is to provide means for decreasing thecurrent in the winding of a closing, holding and tripping electromagnetof a circuit interrupter utter the contact members of? the same areengagcd.

Another object of our invention is to provide a simple type of toggleand' tripping mechanism. for a circuit interrupter having means forremoving part of the load from the operating electromag-net when the circuit interrupter is in its closed position.

It has. heretofore been proposed to pro vide a single el'ectromagnetwinding for closing a: circuit interrupter, for holding the same in aclosedposition and for tripping thesame. Since it does not require solarge a current toretain a circuit interrupter of this. type in itsclosed position as it does to close the same it is highly advisable thatsome simple means be provided for reducing the current in theelectromagnet winding when the circuit interrupter is closed.

According to the present invention we provide a circuit interruptercomprising an operating toggle mechanism having a lost motionconnection, an operating, holding and tripping electromagnet and aresilient member for opposing the action of the same, and

we so arrange the toggle mechanism, the electromagnet and the resilientmember that the load upon the electromagnet is reduced when the contactmembers are engaged, and we also provide means for decreasing thecurrent traversing the winding of the elec tromagnet in accordance withthe reduction in the load upon the same.

Our device is so arranged that the load upon the electromagnet, afterthe contact members are engaged, is only sufficient to overcome thepressure of the resilient member. Thus, when the current traversing theelectromagnet. is interrupted, the resilient member will trip thecircuit interrupter, substantially as hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is aside view, partially inelevation and partially insection of a circuit interrupter embodying ourinvention Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryfro-n-t elevatioi-ial view of thecircuit interruptcr shown in- Fig. 1, and Fig. 3- is a diagrammatic viewof circuit connections of one application to which our invention maybeapplied.

The circuit interrupter embodying the present invention isespeciallyadapted to be employed in systems in which it is de sired toconnect together two conductors 1 and 2 (Fig. 3) when the voltagebetween each of the said conductors and a common return cond-uctor3 issubstantially the same, the circuit interrupter being shownconventionally at l. However. our invention may be employed equally wellin any place where an electrically operated circuit interrupter isneeded.

The electromagnet winding of the circuit interrupter 4 is connected inseries with a resistor 6 toform a circuit from the conductor 1 to thereturn wire 3', substantially as shown. A relay 7 is provided having twosu plemental windings 8 and 9,. a movable core member 10, and abridgingcontact member 11, substantially as shown. One of the windingsof the relay 7 is connected between the conductors 2' and 3: and theother is connected between the conductors 1 and 3. These windings are soproportioned that the movable core member 10 of the relay 7 will bedrawn upwardly when the voltages across the circuits are ofpredetermined values. The bridging contact member 11 and its cooperatingstationary contactmember 11 form a switch for the circuit that includesthe clectromagnet winding 5 and the resister (3'. A knife blade 13 whicheotiperates with a stationary contact member 14.- is adapted to shortcircuit the resistor 6 when the circuit interrupter 4 is opened.

The circuit interrupter 4 comprises main stationary contact members 15',a main bridging contact member 16, a stationary auxiliary contact member17, a movable auxiliary contact member 18, a stationary by resilientmembers 16 to provide a time interval between the operation of the same.The contact members and means for supporting the same are substantiallythe same as is shown in a copending United States application Serial No.535,437, filed Dec. 29, 1909, and assigned to the Vestinghouse Electric'& Manufacturing Company.

Tothe base member 22 is attached an operating electromagnet 27 whichcomprises,

besides a winding 5 and a movable core member 12, a stationary coremember 28, a spring 29 and adjustable limiting screws 30.

The springs 29 are disposed with-in the movable and stationary coremembers of the electromagnet 27 and are arranged to oppose the operationof the electromagnet 27, as hereinafter set forth.

The toggle mechanism 21 comprises a bell crank lever 31 that ispivotally mounted upon a shaft 31 supported by the brackets 22*, links32 that operatively connect the pivotally mounted arm 23 to the upperarm of the bell crank lever 31, and a link 31 that operatively connectsthe other arm of the bell crank lever to the movable core member 12 ofthe electromagnet 27 The link 33 is provided with a relatively largeopening 34 where it connects with the bell crank lever 31 to form a lostmotion connection between the movable core member 12 of theelectromagnet27 and the bell crank lever 31. The springs 29 are disposed about rods35 which are located within openings in a portion 28 of the stationarycore member of the electromagnet 27. The rods 35 engage the knife blademembers 13 to effect disengagement of the same from the stationarycontact member 14 when the springs 29 are compressed. The limitingscrews 30 are adjusted to support the weight of the movable parts of theinterrupter when the same is closed and thus restrain the same in itsits closed position. The portion 28 of the stationary core member 28 isscrew threaded and adapted to be adjustablewith respect to the mainportion of the stationary core member.

When the voltage between the conductors 1 and 3 and 2 and 3,respectively, are substantially the same and of such value as toenergize the relay 7 sufficiently to draw the movable contact memberupwardly, current will'tra'versc the winding 5 of the circuitinterrupter '1 causing the movable (Ore member 12 to move downwardly.The downward movement of the movable core member 12 rotates the bellcrank lever 31 in a counterclockwise direction forcing the movable arms23 and 25 in a counter-clockwise direction to cause the engagement ofthe respective stationary contact members of the circuit interrupter.The downward movement of the movable core member 12 compresses thespring 29 to cause disengagement of the knife blade member 13 from thestationary contact member 14. Thus, the short circuit aroundtheresistance 6 is opened to decrease the current traversing the winding 5.The toggle mechanism 21 is restrained from opening the circuitinterrupter by reason of its being overset to assume an off centerposition that is determined by the adjustable limiting screws 30.

If the voltage between either of the conductors l and 2 and the commonreturn conductor 3 decreases, the movable core member 10 of the relay 7will move downwardly to interrupt the current traversing the winding 5of the electromagnet 27 Since the current that normally traverses thewinding 5 is only sufiicient to overcome the springs 29, when the flowof current therein is interrupted, the springs will expand, causing themovable member 12 to move upwardly throwing the toggle mechanism 21across its dead center position to interrupt the circuit between theconductors l and 2. The opening 34 in the link 33 permits the movablecore member to attain a relatively great amount of energy'before thetoggles are upset or collapsed. The upward movement of the movable coremember 12 and the rods 35 permits the spring 36 to move the knife blademember 13 into engagement with the stationary contact member 14. In thisposition, the circuit interrupter is a ain ready for operating when therelay 7 is again sufliciently energized.

While we have shown our invention in its preferred form, it is not solimited, but, is capable of various modifications within the scope ofthe appended claims.

\Ve claim as our invention:

1. A circuit interrupter comprising stationary cont-act members, movablecontact members, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contactmembers, a bell-crank lever, a link for operatively connecting thepivotally mounted arm to one arm of the bell-crank lever, anelectromagnet mounted entirely below the bell-crank lever, and a pinandslot lost-motion connection between the other arm of the bell-cranklever and the movable member of the electromagnet.

2. A circuit interrupter comprising stationary contact members, movablecontact members, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contactmembers, a bell-crank lever, a link for opcratively connecting thepivotally mounted arm to one arm of the bell-crank lever, anelectromagnct mounted entirely below the bell-crank lever, and a linkhaving a lost-motion connection between the other arm of the bell-cranklever and the movable member of the electromagnet.

3. A circuit interrupter comprising cooperating movable and stationarycontact members, a bell-crank lever, a link for operatively connectingthe movable contact member to one arm of the bell-crank lever, anoperating electromagnet disposed entirely below the bell-crank lever,and a link hav ing a lost-motion connection between the movable memberof the electromagnet and the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

4-. A circuit interrupter comprising cooperating movable and stationarycontact members, a bell-crank lever, a link for operatively connectingthe movable contact member to one arm of the bell-crank lever, anoperating electromagnet disposed entirely below the bell-crank lever, alink having a lost-motion connection between the movable member of theelectromagnet and the other arm of the bell-crank lever, and a springfor opposing the closing movement of the.

electromagnet.

5. A circuit interrupter comprising a stationary contact member, amovable contact member, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contactmember, a bell-crank lever mounted below the pivotally mounted arm, alink for operatively connecting the pivotally mounted arm to one armofthe bell-crank lever, an operating electromagnet mounted entirelybelow the bell-crank lever, and a link operatively connected to themovable member of the electromagnet and having a lost-motionpin-and-slot connection with the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

6. A circuit interrupter comprising a sta tionary contact member, amovable contact member, a pivotally mounted arm for the movable contactmember, a bell-crank lever mounted below the pivotally mounted arm, alink for operatively connecting the pivotally mounted arm to one arm ofthe bellcrank lever, an operating electromagnet disposed below thebell-crank lever, and a link' operatively connected to the movablemember of the electromagnet and having a lostmotion pin-and-sl'otconnection with the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this th dayof July,

JOSEPH N. MAHONEY. lVALTER M. AUSTIN. Witnesses:

A. H. BAKKAM, B. B. HINES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

